After
a successful Vaaranam Aayiram, Gautham
Vasudev Menon ventures into his next,
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, focusing entirely
on the most catholic emotion in the world,
LOVE, a subject that the brilliant director
is known to handle with style, finesse,
panache and a lot of heart. Although,
VTV could have been an apt Valentine’s
Day presentation, it nevertheless does
not cease to impress the target audience,
the YOUTH.

VTV is all about falling in love, the
emotions, confusions and the innumerable
rollercoaster sensations associated with
it. Karthik (Silambarasan), a mechanical
engineer is an aspiring film director.
It is love at first sight for this young
man with his landlord’s daughter
Jessy (Trisha), a Malayalee Christian
and a computer professional. Karthik expresses
his love to her in a quite unexpected
manner but she does not accept it citing
practical reasons. Notwithstanding her
absence even for a short while, Karthik,
in

her pursuit, reaches Kerala along with his cinematographer
friend Ganesh.

He finds Jessy in the pretext of apologizing to her
for his behavior but earns her friendship. The ensuing
train trip to Chennai from Allapuzha paves way for
a deeper bond between the two. Meanwhile Karthik rubs
Jessy’s brother on the wrong side which creates
a wedge between the two families and Karthik’s
family is made to vacate the premises. This triggers
the hasty fixing of marriage for Jessy in Kerala.
Needless to say, Karthik reaches there and what happens
thereafter form the crux of Vinnai Thaandi Varuavaayaa.
The answers to questions like whether Karthik and
Jessy unite in marriage or go their individual ways
are narrated with a trademark Gautham Menon’s
style.

An all new Silambarasan, with a complete make over
steals the show. An amazing performance from the young
super star! His dialogue delivery, body language,
voice modulations, dance movements are all right in
place and VTV is a definite milestone for him. He
has lived the character of Karthik in every cell.
His dexterity with feet reaches a crescendo in the
Hosanna number. Trisha is lovely in Nalini Sriram’s
simple, relatable costumes and comes alive as a confused
woman, not knowing her path. Ganesh as Silambarasan’s
friend is adorable and the combination takes charge
of humor component. Naga Chaitanya and Samantha make
a cameo.

Directorial touches of Gautham Menon are abundant
through out the film especially with the portrayal
of his characters which are very real. His stamp is
unmistakable in the last scene when he juxtaposes
reel and real events. The director once again proves
that he is after all a master craftsman especially
in matters of love. The dialogues between Silambarasan
and Ganesh are highly enjoyable and natural and that
between him and Trisha receive loud applause from
the audience. A sample is Silambarasan’s retort
to Trisha when she wonders about his trip to Kerala-
“When people go all out to America to woo their
girl, I have after all come to Kerala.”

This is the first time Gautham teams up with A R Rahman
and his music has already scorched the charts and
the songs are the strong pillars to the film. Audience
breaks into a thunderous rapture with Hosanna and
the choreography only highlights the effects of the
number. Omana Penne is a poetic delight when the music,
lyrics and the visuals weave a magical spell!

It is a visual treat through Manoj Paramahamsa’s
camera work when the backwaters of Kerala, ancient
churches of Malta and USA are brought alive. The song
sequences are an aural and a visual pleasure indeed!
Antony at the editing desk and Rajeevan helming art
department lend the right kind of support to the film.

On the flip side, the narration takes its own sweet
time to unfold and it does not help much especially
in the second half when things take time to move forward
which tests the patience. The scene between Trisha
and Silambarasan in USA is one such example. For people
who expect a breezy love story VTV might disappoint
them. A uniform engaging script and a crisper narrative
could have tilted the balance completely in favor
of this all love flick.